Real Madrid: The 5 best individual games at October break

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MADRID, SPAIN – SEPTEMBER 25: Casemiro of Real Madrid during the La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid v Osasuna at the Santiago Bernabeu on September 25, 2019 in Madrid Spain (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images) /

Casemiro vs. Osasuna

Real Madrid had three straight clean sheets in the span of one week to close out a month of September that seemed like a topsy-turvy one at one point, as these clean sheets followed an atrocious 3-0 loss in the Champions League opener at the Parc des Princes.

But Real beat Sevilla 1-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan immediately after the loss to PSG, then they had this stellar 2-0 win over Osasuna at mid-week.

The win over Osasuna could have easily been a trap game for Real Madrid, as it fell between two huge La Liga encounters with rivals Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. Zinedine Zidane rotated some backup players for this game, but Casemiro was one of the workhorse regulars who remained in the starting XI.

And Casemiro delivered a performance for the ages. Continuing his stellar 2019-2020 campaign, Casemiro intercepted six passes, added a couple of more tackles, and generally bossed Osasuna’s midfield in a professional display from Real’s defense for the clean sheet. Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola did not have to lift his finger in his La Liga debut, as Real’s defense did not surrender a single shot on target.

Casemiro deserves the utmost praise for this display, which also included three clearances and an assist for Rodrygo, who honestly did most of the work after brilliantly touching down Casemiro’s mindful long ball.

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